Opaque and unaffordable service charges are putting leaseholders and tenants across the country under immense strain. The government are committed to improving service charge transparency and making it easier to challenge unreasonable increases. Change is on its way. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... - ThreadSky

matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social • 51 days ago

Opaque and unaffordable service charges are putting leaseholders and tenants across the country under immense strain.

The government are committed to improving service charge transparency and making it easier to challenge unreasonable increases.

Change is on its way.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy344nwdwpo

Comments

grahambrighton.bsky.social•51 days ago

Really? I'll believe that when it happens.

endlongleasehold.bsky.social•51 days ago

Cannot come soon enough Matthew. Need Right to Manage changes asap, really the onus should be on managing agents to show charges are reasonable, not leaseholders having to show they are unreasonable. Also need all in a block to be able to vote on the agent each year, even if no RTM co.

jackharman.bsky.social•51 days ago

Great to have you on here! I hope we can get on quickly with liberalising the planning laws and building the Cambridge new town

ben-brewin.bsky.social•51 days ago

This is appreciated - but 2/3 of my service charge bill comprises building insurance and communal energy costs (which are not subject to the Ofgem price cap, despite being 100% residential block) - I just can’t see how transparency here will help? What is the Government doing on building ins.?

justanestimate.bsky.social•51 days ago

I agree. There is a problem in the wider market around transparency but wonder if issues around insurance and energy costs are just as problematic if not more. They need some attention from the Government.

l0rdliberty.bsky.social•51 days ago

I appreciate more government MPs making the jump to Bluesky, even if Cabinet MPs have so far not done so.

hoosiersands.bsky.social•51 days ago

You could throw mandatory licensing for managing agents in there as well.

richholman.com•51 days ago

Thank you. Despite repeated requests for a meeting to discuss last years service charge review, our housing association keeps ‘passing it on’ to the relevant department without follow-up. Usually it’s then ‘too late’ to change it.

More accountability and transparency would make a huge difference.

lostinsw19.bsky.social•51 days ago

Hi Matthew,
That's what the *previous* government promised. It's not good enough. It will not help shared owners like me who have no access to service charge info because the housing association is not the freeholder.
Please hold *them* to account. None of us can afford to litigate.

dlynch.bsky.social•48 days ago

Why did you drop the pledge to abolish leasehold within the first 100 days of a Labour government?

matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social•48 days ago

Reasoning set out here 👇🏻

https://news.sky.com/story/amp/labour-drops-pledge-to-abolish-leasehold-within-100-days-but-is-still-committed-to-the-reforms-13113071

dlynch.bsky.social•48 days ago

What reasoning?

"The party is still committed to getting rid of the system, but those working on the policy believe they need more time to enact such a radical measure after the Tories watered down their own promises on reform."

What have the Tories' flaccid reforms got to do with anything?

matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social•48 days ago

They have determined the amount of reform that remains to be taken forward.

dlynch.bsky.social•47 days ago

But how has that delayed anything? Scrapping leasehold is scrapping leasehold, irrespective of the precise starting point.

Presumably you've done the work, no?

There's no shortage of other countries that have gone through this process, most germanely our neighbours to the north in early 2000s.

matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social•47 days ago

We’ve set out in great detail precisely how we intend to proceed. Thanks for taking the time to share your views.

wharfgirl.bsky.social•39 days ago

All you are going to do is regulate managing agents which will drive up costs and change nothing, plus talk about transparency which will also solve nothing. Control is the only issue in leasehold. U won’t help us any more than the other lot did. Less in fact.

Comments

Posting Rules

Reply